HomeMy WebLinkAboutMy Story--College Station Pg. 3Charlie's Food Market charged groceries. My mother sent customers a bill monthly. The
store also delivered phone orders twice daily to the homes. That was my job during the
summer months.
As a teenager, I helped construct the new building which contained four stores, including
Charlie's Food Market, a cafe, Jewelry store which later became a barbershop and a
Variety Store. My Uncle Albert Opersteny ran that store. I remember going to the
Missouri Pacific Railroad Station to pick up the bricks from a box car. I picked up 7
bricks at a time and loaded them onto a flat bed truck which took them to the construction
site. I had the job of taking the forms (boards) off the upright pillows (supports for the
building roof) and removing the nails. We then used the lumber on the roof.
One afternoon, I started to nail a board when the foreman said it was quitting time. He
got after me for not coming down immediately but I wanted the board to be secure on
both ends so it would not blow away. How things have changed in the construction
business.
North Gate was the center of activities since the Post Office was located there. There
was a South Gate which had most of the housing and then College Hills started at East
Gate, the main entrance to Texas A&M.